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8720.More information
SummaryEconomic crisis and the transformation of local government into a political issue in Great Britain, 1979-1984The main features of the British local government system are outlined : the breadth of activities it covers, its high degree of professionalization, its penetration by national political parties, its paternalism and unresponsiveness to local popular pressure, and its centralization and concern with territorial equality of service provision. Recent trends in local government spending are discussed and the paper then focusses on the three major conflicts between central government and councils between 1979 and 1984 : over the level of council spending, over the right of councils to choose the level of rates (local property taxes) and over plans to abolish the Greater London Council and metropolitan county councils. Finally an explanation of the outcomes of these conflicts is advanced, relating them to the economic crisis, to new ideologies about public spending and to the features of the British local government system. It is suggested that this may supply a framework for comparative analysis.